Rent Level Options for 2026/27

Overview

Each year, in partnership with our tenants, we review the rent levels we charge for the Housing Services we provide. These annual reviews are necessary to ensure that we continue to meet our duties to you as a landlord, respond to your priorities and maintain high levels of service delivery.

For the ninth year running we are consulting and engaging with you over the level of rent to be set for the next year - 2026/27. We want to give all tenants a voice in decisions that affect you, your home, and the services that you receive. By taking part you can have a chance to win one of four £50 high street shopping vouchers.

This year, as in previous years, three options are being proposed based on the feedback we have received from tenants, as well as costs facing by the Housing Revenue Account (HRA). The HRA is a ring-fenced pot of money paid to us through your rents and is used to pay for your housing services. This money cannot be spent on anything else. 

Like most businesses, we continue to experience significant financial pressures due to an increase in costs for many things such as stock, supplies, high interest rates and energy costs. To ensure we have enough money to maintain your home and meet our landlord obligations to you, we need to increase our rents to cover these increases.

How we consult on rent setting

Each year, we send out a questionnaire to all tenants in April asking you what your priorities are for housing services. We then use this feedback to develop a range of options for increased investment in your home and new and improved ways of delivering housing services. This is followed by our Summer Tenant Conference which are held in our communities where we have further discussions with tenants about your priorities, and then an Autumn Tenant Conference where tenants are presented with three rent increase options based on what you have told us. After the Autumn event, voting forms and information about the rent increase options are made available to each tenant asking you to vote for your preferred rent level option.

Why your views matter

Rent setting is one of the most important decisions that we take each year, and because it affects all tenants it is vital that you are given the opportunity to have your say. We want to give all tenants a voice in decisions that affect you, your home, and the services that you receive.

It’s important that we let you know the impact the proposed options for 2026/27 will have on the services we deliver for you, and on the level of rent you will pay. 

Please read the following information carefully and then vote for your preferred rent level.

What happens next

The results of this consultation will be presented to the Council's Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee in January 2026.

A report to the committee will include details of the preferred rent level of tenants, and make a recommendation about the rent level for 2026/27.

Based on the report, Councillors will make a decision on the level of rent tenants will pay for 2026/27, and the new rent level will come into effect from April 2026.